Humber River Trail Oct 10

[Ally]

Took a walk late afternoon, some kinglets were active, and some White Throated and song Sparrows.

[Ally]

Fall colors can be beautiful

[Dinusaur]

Beautiful set. That trail is a very productive trail for you.

[thouc]

The last sparrow looks to light-colored for a Song Sparrow, might be a Savannah Sparrow.

/Thomas

[Ally]

The last sparrow looks to light-colored for a Song Sparrow, might be a Savannah Sparrow.

/Thomas

I thought I saw some of them with yellow brows, but I rarely see a Savannah, maybe I'm lucky this time.  He doesn't have that big black spot one the neck either. Here is another one of the same bird.

[thouc]

Yes, Savannah.

[Ally]

Yes, Savannah.

Nice, thanks Thomas!

[Ally]

Beautiful set. That trail is a very productive trail for you.

Yes. Apart from getting pricky seeds all over me and misquittoes in the Summer, I have no complaints. And no fox...

[Shortsighted]

That's a terrific shot of a Savannah sparrow doing an impression of a Lark sparrow,
so very, very pretentious of it. That tough-guy cresting and attitude on a lark. Once again
though, your sports-mode really cranked the ISO and reduced the latitude of midtone detail
that might have softened its demeanor. You are so good at finding subjects and I'm sure
that your technique is proprietary and that you could not share it with me without having
to kill me afterwards. Every day is an adventure.

[Ally]

That's a terrific shot of a Savannah sparrow doing an impression of a Lark sparrow,
so very, very pretentious of it. That tough-guy cresting and attitude on a lark. Once again
though, your sports-mode really cranked the ISO and reduced the latitude of midtone detail
that might have softened its demeanor. You are so good at finding subjects and I'm sure
that your technique is proprietary and that you could not share it with me without having
to kill me afterwards. Every day is an adventure.

Dare I ask again, can you taking me birding? It's not that I do not want to learn, I learn by mimicking. Your explanation has to be the most patient and clear I have ever heard in my life, but my brain and hands just don't register.

[Shortsighted]

You're still young, Grasshopper, and patience comes with age. You show patience when
you pick up a pencil and render. You show discipline when you go out every chance you get.
You can practice on Av-mode in the backyard, or anywhere else that does not demand rapid
reaction and brutal scrutiny as might occur in the field, at least until you get the hang of it.

I saw a RCK across the street a couple of days ago and also a Hermit thrush but otherwise there
is nothing happening around here. The Brown thrasher that bumped against the backyard window
never came back again. Haven't seen an adult WC sparrow yet and definitely no Fox sparrow.
I wish! Still, I have hopes of something new showing up.

Even if nothing shows up you can still take along your kit-lens and try photographing other subjects
on the trail. Your fungus shots were fabulous. Look for colour, form (shape & contours), textures or
juxtaposition. Check out your surroundings when viewed from on ground. A forest floor littered with fallen leaves.
Looking straight up at a colourful canopy. Bring a backdrop card for fall plant life because it eliminates
might otherwise be a cluttered background. A subject might include the hand of man in a natural environment
where you least expect it. Give yourself an assignment and then go out a shoot as if you are required to
present your photos to the rest of the class. We are the rest of the class. I'm the class clown, as always.

[Ally]

You're still young, Grasshopper, and patience comes with age. You show patience when
you pick up a pencil and render. You show discipline when you go out every chance you get.
You can practice on Av-mode in the backyard, or anywhere else that does not demand rapid
reaction and brutal scrutiny as might occur in the field, at least until you get the hang of it.

I saw a RCK across the street a couple of days ago and also a Hermit thrush but otherwise there
is nothing happening around here. The Brown thrasher that bumped against the backyard window
never came back again. Haven't seen an adult WC sparrow yet and definitely no Fox sparrow.
I wish! Still, I have hopes of something new showing up.

Even if nothing shows up you can still take along your kit-lens and try photographing other subjects
on the trail. Your fungus shots were fabulous. Look for colour, form (shape & contours), textures or
juxtaposition. Check out your surroundings when viewed from on ground. A forest floor littered with fallen leaves.
Looking straight up at a colourful canopy. Bring a backdrop card for fall plant life because it eliminates
might otherwise be a cluttered background. A subject might include the hand of man in a natural environment
where you least expect it. Give yourself an assignment and then go out a shoot as if you are required to
present your photos to the rest of the class. We are the rest of the class. I'm the class clown, as always.

One last question, how do you shoot moving objects with AV? They don't give you time to dial up or down. Do you choose not to shoot action shots or are there more techniques?

[Shortsighted]

What do I do about action shots!
What ... do .... I .... do?
Whaaat .... do ... I ... do?
Whaaat, whaat, what, wa,wa,wa .... I sound like a duck.
Really?
I have people for that.
Seriously, I do the same thing as I always do .... avoid conflict.
I turn off my imaginary stabilization. It doesn't exist so you might
say that it responds to voice command.
I employ the back focusing button.
While my camera is still pointing elsewhere I turn it on,
push the ISO button and crank the wheel in a second,
unless the ISO is ALREADY high enough for the situation.
Because of a bright sky, I put my thumb on the rear button and hold while my finger
swirls the selector wheel to the right ... say, about a full stop, or so.
Lift the camera to find the action, hold down the rear focus
button while centering the subject as it moves, pan to follow
and burst into action. Man, I sound like an action-figure.
I chimp the image unless the sun is too bright to see the screen
and then zoom in with the magnification feature to check for sharpness
and then, well, I usually curse. I don't fret over the inherent difficulty
associated with action shot photography because I figure that pursuit
is for grown-ups and therefore I should not expect much success in that
department. Action shots, indeed! To be succinct (as if that were even possible)
... I'm not you!

[Ally]

What do I do about action shots!
What ... do .... I .... do?
Whaaat .... do ... I ... do?
Whaaat, whaat, what, wa,wa,wa .... I sound like a duck.
Really?
I have people for that.
Seriously, I do the same thing as I always do .... avoid conflict.
I turn off my imaginary stabilization. It doesn't exist so you might
say that it responds to voice command.
I employ the back focusing button.
While my camera is still pointing elsewhere I turn it on,
push the ISO button and crank the wheel in a second,
unless the ISO is ALREADY high enough for the situation.
Because of a bright sky, I put my thumb on the rear button and hold while my finger
swirls the selector wheel to the right ... say, about a full stop, or so.
Lift the camera to find the action, hold down the rear focus
button while centering the subject as it moves, pan to follow
and burst into action. Man, I sound like an action-figure.
I chimp the image unless the sun is too bright to see the screen
and then zoom in with the magnification feature to check for sharpness
and then, well, I usually curse. I don't fret over the inherent difficulty
associated with action shot photography because I figure that pursuit
is for grown-ups and therefore I should not expect much success in that
department. Action shots, indeed! To be succinct (as if that were even possible)
... I'm not you!

I did not forget my homework.

[Ally]

The ladybug suddenly started to explore, and it was pure luck that I got his open wing shot, and I'm not even happy with it. I find with these kind of tiny object, AV takes clear photos and focuses better than sports mode.